Today is the Summer Solstice

Today is the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year!!!  It is the first day of summer, and it is 91 degrees, which seems pretty hot.

So, summer is here and I am still planting my spring/summer veggies. I have most of my peppers in. Would like to find 2-3 Anaheims to plant. 

I have five San Marzano paste tomatoes planted. I have two organic Early Girls and a Costoluto Genovese in large pots. Still have two slicing tomatoes to plant: a Paul Robeson and Sun Gold to plant, as well as one more Costoluto Genovese. 

This is what the Paul Robeson looks like - something like a Black Kim in color I think. I have never grown them before.

I have one Zucchini squash planted and one more French White Bush squash to plant. I lost a couple eggplant starts in the greenhouse and only have one left to plant. I haven't even gotten any beans planted yet, and need to look to see if any tomatillos have volunteered in a dry bed. I am watering that tomatillo bed right now.

It is pretty much covered with mugwort up to 6 feet tall. Very happy mugwort, but I don't need mugwort in that bed. It already has its own place on the other side of the house in an herb bed.

I have three kinds of Swiss Chard, the white, orange/yellow and red that are growing extra large leaves. They are not liking this hot sun as well as some other plants that are unhappy with this sudden hot sun. 

 And the late planted broccoli wilts during the hot of the day, but is still healthy because of the afternoon shade. The onions and leeks are in full bloom from this hot sun too. At least the round flower heads are pretty.

Oh, and the raspberries are coming on and are very sweet. I hardly get many of them into the house. Only twice have I not eaten all of them to get a bowl's worth in the house.

One of the greatest things this year is that the native bees and honey bees are very plentiful. The honey bees have been thick on my Vitex tree and my El Grosso Lavender (pictured below).

So, my ever changing garden is a very busy place!